"First appearing in China in the 10th century, the Firespear is one of the earliest gunpowder weapons invented. Firespears consist of a bamboo tube containing gunpowder and some kind of projectile slung on a spear. Fired in volleys, firespears were quite effective against massed attackers as they approached the defenders' position. As technology advanced and projectiles became deadlier, firespears would morph into arquebuses and other long arms."